Spring Tracking: Crudo Ristorante & Bar

We found ourselves near Sunset Plaza recently and just had to peek inside the forthcoming Crudo Ristorante & Bar in the former Norman's space. We still lament Norman Van Aken's departure from the LA dining scene, not to mention the lovely soft dining room and, most importantly, pig and paella night on the patio. The complex now has more life to it with the H&M, Ketchup and the always packed Caffe Primo, so Antonio Alessi's Italian spot might have a better chance than Norman's, and apparently we can't have enough Italian restaurants in LA. After chatting with someone in the Crudo office, we have few new details except that there's a "crudo bar"; he explained what crudo is and almost insinuated they'll be the first to bring it (not true: check out Il Grano). From the snaps you'll see the patio is more fenced in than before, and inside all those sound-absorbing accents are gone. They're still looking for a chef, after that will come the menu, and they're shooting for an end of March, early April debut. A quick refresher: Alessi currently owns Fred Segal's Mauro Cafe, and owned Alessi on Highland and Melrose where the Mozzas now reign.
· Plywood: Crudo at The Sunset [ELA]
· Plywood Special Report: Crudo Takes Over Norman's [ELA]